Her quiet reply comes after a moment of consideration. “I can handle my own problems, and you’ve done enough for me. You’re obviously dealing with something too. Do you want to tell me about it?” Her eyes meet mine and seconds pass before she nods at my silence.
“That’s different. I’m not in danger.”
“Neither am I.”
“You don’t know that. If the laws don’t apply to them, you don’t know what they’ll do.”
“I know that punching him didn’t help and you kicking his ass will only make things worse. They want the diner, and they have more than enough legal power and sway to try to get it. They’re trying to make it financially impossible for me to keep fighting them. They aren’t going to be stupid enough to hurt me or do something violent. That might bring the state police or feds into it and their influence doesn’t stretch that far. They’re going to try to blackmail me over dropping the charges. The lawyer said to expect them to try to drag it out to cost more in court and legal fees. It’s a common tactic.”
I know what her response will be even before I say it. “Silver, I have a lot of money at my disposal. If you?—”
“No,” she interrupts, looking away. “I appreciate it, but I’m not taking your money. I can handle this.”
I reach over to pinch her chin between my fingers andturn her head until we’re eye to eye. “I want to know if he messes with you at all, if any of them do. I won’t hurt anybody.” That’s not strictly the truth. If I believe she’s in danger, all bets are off. The town would be better off if that family were fish food, and I’m not above making that happen. “Promise you’ll tell me.”
A small smile grows on her face. “I promise.” She leans to give me a kiss.
Her lips linger, warm and soft, and I let my hand wander from her hip to the small of her back. She feels delicate under my palm, but her strength astounds me. I’ve watched her drag herself upright again and again these past weeks. Through grief and flames, threats and broken glass, she keeps standing.
Maybe that’s why I can’t stop touching her.
She pulls back enough to look at me, and the world narrows to the few inches between us. Her hair brushes my cheek as she shifts, and I tuck it behind her ear.
“Lee.” I can hear hesitation in her voice as if her next words might not be ones I want to hear.
“Hm?”
Her hand slides up my chest so slowly, like she’s memorizing the feel of me, or maybe she’s trying to ground herself. Maybe we both are.
“You don’t have to carry everything alone,” she murmurs.
God, she’s shredding me. She’s the one whose world keeps catching fire. Yet she’s trying to shoulder my weight without even knowing what it is. The way she says it, gentleand sure, like it doesn’t matter what I’m keeping from her, means more than she can ever know.
I touch my forehead to hers. “Neither do you.”
She nods, her nose brushing mine. “I know.”
Her fingers trace the base of my throat, a small touch that lights a fuse under my skin, and I run my hand up her side. She swings her leg over mine, straddling me on the couch. The warm weight of her body settles on me, and it loosens the knot in my chest.
Her lips barely brush mine. She threads her fingers through my hair, slow and careful, and I pull her closer, my hands sliding under the hem of her shirt to feel her hot skin. She shivers, and our kiss deepens, not urgent but intent. I feel her stress, her relief, her fear, her need. All of it tangled up with mine.
“Lee,” she breathes against my mouth, her voice trembling. She melts into me, and her hips shift, sending a jolt through me. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest as her lips trail along my jaw, slow and lingering. Each kiss feels like it’s unlocking something in me I’ve kept bolted shut, and it’s terrifying, but I’m helpless against it.
I can’t take it anymore. I need to be inside of her.
She wraps around me instinctively when I stand, and her fingers lace at the nape of my neck as I carry her to my room. We shed our clothes between kisses and caresses until she’s beside me on the bed, face to face. The soft moan she lets out when I slide my fingers inside her has my cock rock hard, and it throbs under her soft palm when her hand wraps around it. We can’t keep our mouths apart as our handswork. The slow, searching kisses while she strokes me from base to tip are a mind numbing combination, and I match her leisurely pace with my fingers. Time seems to stretch. Fuck, I could do this forever. Just stay here drawing those sweet little whimpers and sighs from her while my own moans mix in.
“Oh, Lee,” she gasps, urgency and pleading in her tone.
“I’ve got you.”
I suck her nipple into my mouth, and continue to take my time, keeping her on the edge for another few seconds. Her hand stops stroking and jumps to clutch at my shoulder. She arches her back and lets out a soft cry while her body trembles. Her pleasure peaks and fades but the way she holds onto me through it, as if I’m her only link to safety, makes me feel like the most powerful man alive.
Kissing her again, I roll her onto her back, propping myself up with one arm as she wraps her legs around me. A moan escapes me as I slide my cock completely inside of her in one slow stroke. Nothing has ever felt so good. So right.
When she pulls me down into her arms, the rest of the world fades to nothing. There’s only her, the heat of her, the softness of her body trembling beneath mine. My movements aren’t hurried or hard. I want to feel her, every corner and inch of her.
I fuck her slowly, deeply, for what feels like hours, until we’re both half out of our minds with the pure overwhelming pleasure of it. Until everything between us feels too big to hide.
